Erik Schumann, violin
Ken Schumann, violin
Liisa Randalu, viola
Mark Schumann, cello
The Schumann Quartett has reached a stage where anything is possible, because it has renounced certainties. This also has consequences for the audience, who must be prepared for every eventuality from one concert to the next: ‘A work only really develops in a live performance,’ says the quartet. ‘It’s ‘the most important thing’, because we never know what’s going to happen. On stage, all imitation disappears and you automatically become honest with yourself. Then you can connect with the audience – communicate with them through music. ‘Sabine Meyer, Menahem Pressler, Andreas Ottensamer and Anna Lucia Richter are among the quartet’s current partners.
Its album ‘Intermezzo’ (2018 | Schumann, Reimann with Anna-Lucia Richter and Mendelssohn Bartholdy) has been enthusiastically acclaimed at home and abroad and was awarded the ‘Opus Klassik’ prize in the quintet category. It is celebrated as a worthy successor to its award-winning album ‘Landscapes’, in which the quartet traces its roots by combining works by Haydn, Bartók, Takemitsu and Pärt. Among other awards, the latter received the ‘Jahrespreis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik’, five Diapasons and was selected as Editor’s Choice by BBC Music Magazine. For its previous CD ‘Mozart Ives Verdi’, the Schumann Quartet won the Newcomer Award 2016 at the BBC Music Magazine Awards in London.
The three brothers Mark, Erik and Ken Schumann have been playing together since they were very young. In 2012, they were joined by violist Liisa Randalu, who was born in the Estonian capital Tallinn and grew up in Karlsruhe, Germany. Those who experience the quartet in performance often notice the close bond between its members. The four musicians appreciate the way they communicate without words: how a single glance is enough to express how a particular member wants to play a particular passage. Although individual personalities are clearly evident, a common space emerges in each musical work in a process of spiritual metamorphosis. The quartet’s openness and curiosity may be partly the result of the formative influence exerted on it by teachers such as Eberhard Feltz, the Alban Berg Quartet or partners such as Menahem Pressler.
Professors and musical partners, prestigious prizes, CD releases – it’s always tempting to speculate on the factors that have led many people to regard the Schumann Quartet as one of the best in the world. But the four musicians themselves see these milestones more as encounters, as confirmation of the path they have taken. They feel that their musical development over the last two years represents a quantum leap. ‘We really want to push things to the extreme, to see how far the excitement and our spontaneity as a band takes us,’ says Ken Schumann, the middle of the three Schumann brothers. They charmingly avoid any attempt to categorise their sound, approach or style, and let the concerts speak for themselves.
And the critics agree: ‘Fire and energy. The Schumann Quartet plays wonderfully […] undoubtedly one of the best ensembles among today’s abundance of quartets, […] with sparkling virtuosity and a willingness to amaze’ (Harald Eggebrecht in Süddeutsche Zeitung). So there’s plenty of room for adventure.
